Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea

Count me in, I am now in Thomas’ corner! Coppery-colored infusion with the cocoa-y, bake-y, malty flavors as others have described. Thomas arrives with a slow, smooth swagger, but leaves with a bit of a punch of astringent finish just to remind you that he was here. I look forward to spending time with him again!

I’m actually drinking a mix of Andrew & Dunham’s Jasmine Green and Adagio Teas’s Jasmine #5, because there wasn’t enough of the Jasmine #5 left to make a full cup. It’s really hard to go wrong with jasmine tea with me, since jasmine is my absolute favorite flavor. <3

Jasmine teas have always been my absolute favorite. (This is probably has a lot to do with jasmine teas being was the only kind of tea I enjoyed drinking at Vietnamese/Chinese restaurants when I was a kid.)

When I first got my jasmine green tea from Andrews & Dunham, I marveled on the beautiful design on tin and then quickly opened it up to get a good whiff of it. Heavenly (as the scent of jasmine always is). And when I brewed my first cup of this — it was obviously a damn fine cup of tea.

And thus we bid His Lordship farewell.

I am THIS CLOSE to giving up on the spoiler prevention about the 52teas christmas box! I haven’t got it yet. Iirc there was some delay in shipping around the time when I placed my order due to illness and that’s just too bad and can’t be helped. I’m not complaining about that. I just miss checking the dashboard and hearing from you lot.
(And to be honest, right now I’m rather more concerned about my Kusmi package which according to tracking has been delivered, so that must be the one that was misdelivered to a package pick-up place in Copenhagen (other side of the country from me) and is now apparently caught in limbo somewhere between Copenhagen and here, likely due to the very icy weather we’ve been having lately)

On top of that I’ve run into some annoyance just now. It’s recurring sort of annoyance and I ought to know by now to steer clear of it, because I know it’s going to be there. But I DO wish that some people could just let go of that unhealthy obsession instead of coming after anybody who supposedly ‘does it wrong’ all the time. It’s called ‘nagging’ and it’s not a positive thing to do. grump

So to cheer myself up and hopefully stave off the temptation to go through the dashboard, throwing myself in the arms of spoilers galore, I decided to make me a cup of tea. This also put me in a bit of a pickle because I was in a citrus mood, but not an oolong (Lemon Oolong from Nothing But Tea) or a pu-erh (Orange Pu-erh also from NBT) mood, and that just about concluded my current citrus-y choice.

Apart of course from this one. Well, it’s bergamot, so it’s citrus. But it’s totally not what I had in mind. Me thinks I should put some thought into researching my perfect orange flavoured black, or alternatively dark oolong. Leave me a comment with your favourite orange flavoured black or dark oolong (or other interesting citrus flavoured things), please!

In the meantime, however, His Lordship is a very satisfying cup this afternoon. He turned out a bit too dusty and floral this time, but at the same time providing all the things that I was really looking for. Except the orange, but I shall eat one later instead.

A&D ARE IN DA HOUSE!!! Sorry JacquelineM we’ll have to wait a little bitty while longer for your package.

Anyway, this is a company with very reasonable international shipping rates (about $11 world-wide flat rate) and I just WISH I’d found out about that sooner. It took Auggy sharing a sample of the awesome Caravan with me to make me desperate enough to go have a look. Now I’m sad that I missed out on the others series. Jackee Muntz and Thomas Sampson in particular. Oh well. I guess we can’t have everything.

This is going to be interesting. I have high expectations of this company, maybe to the point of foolishness considering that I have only tried the Caravan and since that was a smoky, I was predisposed to love it.

This Earl Grey business is another kettle of fish. I’m not really an Earl Grey fan. There are some that I have liked a lot (Kusmi’s Smoky Earl Grey is great for example), but it’s not a type I would generally go for myself. The Bergamot can easily become bitter and dusty for me. I did consider seeing if I could get someone to split a set with me so I got the Caravan and they got this one, but then I got greedy and wanted it all for myself.

The aroma of the dry leaves is very bergamot-y but not overwhelmingly so. This is a good thing. Clear bergamot, but not a promise of dusty bitterness. After steeping it’s the same. The bergamot aroma is very clear, but I can’t really pick up the tea. Just bergamot.

Hmmm… I’m in doubt, Steepsterites. Flavour here seems to be twofold. There is a fresh sort of sparkly flavour just at first. It’s familiar but I can’t really place it. Some kind of sweet citrus-y thing, I think. Without it being truly citrus-y at the same time. It just there for a brief, brief moment and then it’s all bergamot. Heavy, dusty and borderline bitter on the soft palate(*).

I like the little pang-flavour there at the beginning, although it because more and more difficult to find as I drink, as the heavy bergamot lingers in the aftertaste and drowns it out. The aftertaste is pleasant though. The heavyness goes away quickly and it leaves this citrus-y remnant that makes my mouth feel fresh and gives the tea a sort of summer-y image.

Considering the fact that I’m not an Earl Grey fan, I would say, “Yes, this is indeed a damn fine tea.”

(*) Note I said ‘palate’ there. Not palette, which is something a painter uses to mix paints on.

The August Tealog Catchup ! (Totally did not finish the August tealogging in August. Ofc things got busy!) [28 tealogs remaining]

This was the last of my Caravan. It’s not something I could drink every day, but when I wanted it, I wanted it. I’m sad to see it gone. But thankfully, there is a sequel (Caravan Resurrected), which I will be next trying out. Though, I may wait a month or so until the weather cools. This is not really a summery tea and as it’s very hot out here still, I’m not drinking a ton of tea period either.

Plus there is the dilemma of the A&D three packs. I do not need an Assam or a black blend at the moment, but you basically get the third tea for $8 instead of $20. I may be able to push it off until I finish Captain Assam then order the other three pack instead. I will not be finishing off my black blends or Earl Grey anytime remotely soon, despite the fact that I’ve been iced tea-ing the Earl Grey this summer. (Thanks mom for not understanding that 8oz is a lot of loose leaf tea! Though seriously, I love when she gifts me tea. I give her/her house tea too.)

Alright, so I’m still happy with my rating for this one ultimately. It was a great tea! And yes, as stated above, I want and will be buying more of this one.

2nd steep.

Backlogging. 11 days ago. Wednesday morning.

I’ve been reading about people blending two teas to create the smokey cowboy earl grey. But I’ve put off trying it even though I was intrigued. I did this as a half and half with Harney’s Earl Grey and this tea was all I could taste. The resteep was odd and not all that enjoyable.

2nd steep: 6 mins

Backlogging. 12 days ago. Early afternoon.

Needing some more caffeine, I reached for another black tea. Now every so often, I have this tea with a spoon of jam stirred in, which gives it a fruity tart flavor to go w/ the smokiness and I kind of like it like that. But I also like it plain too. But I’ve never had it with strawberry jam before. Omg so so good. Strawberry, smoke, a hint of tart, and black tea. Love it. And quickly consumed both steeps. I was not planning on getting the Caravan reissue at all once I finished this tin. Now I’m considering it, just to have with strawberry jam alone. I wake up in the morning wanting this tea this way now.

2nd steep: 8 mins 30 sec

Backlogging.

I used the wrong amount of leaf for the size mug that I used but it was still yum.

2nd steep: 5 min.

Backlogging. Last Friday.

I always think it’s been longer than it has since I last had Caravan. Guess I should drink more often. Smokey-sweet goodness.

2nd steep: 6 min.

Backlogging. Two Wednesdays ago.

Cause some mornings you just want a smokey tea. Nom!

2nd steep: 6 min.

The breakfast mug of tea backlog. Today.

I wanted teh smokiness. In my large pale blue drippy-glazed pottery mug. Good!

This one I did a second steep of, but I realized once I had it at my desk that I’d need to get ready to meet a friend before I could finish the mug so I stuck in the fridge. Drinkable and good, I did not like it cold as much as I like it hot. The flavors aren’t as strong and the mouth feel is totally different. I could taste teh smokiness but it wasn’t quite the same. I would not ice this one on purpose.

2nd steep: 6 min 30 sec.

This pair thing is definitely becoming a pattern. I want a tea. I drink it. The next day, I think that that tea was really yum yesterday, I want it again. I drink it. Then next day, I think now I’ve had enough of that tea, I want something else. I drink it. And so on.

Yesterday was day number two of Caravan. It was equally as enjoyable as day number one. Today I drink something different.

2nd steep: 6 min 15 sec.

Thursday morning I wake up and I want Caravan. It’s really hot out. I haven’t wanted hot tea in a long time. Then I wake up and think, “Caravan, gotta have it.” So I make it and it’s good and I enjoy and am happy. Tea again.

2nd steep: 6 min 30 sec.

Backlogging. Thursday morning.

Must have been in a Caravan kind of mood.

2nd steep: 6 min.

Caravan seems to have replaced the Tiger as the morning tea that I crave lately. But don’t tell the Tiger that. I love him too still, and don’t wish to break his heart.

I am beginning to fear that Caravan will be the first tea out of any of the A&D series that I’ll run out of. I don’t mind limited edition teas at all. In fact, there are so many teas out there. Far more teas that I’ll be able to drink in my lifetime. I don’t see myself as being someone who will keep certain teas in stock. I think I will be more of an endlessly sampling new teas and comparing type tea drinker. But I fear I may want more Caravan once I’m out. Or something similar and smokey. Perhaps Caravan is the beginning of a love affair with smokey teas. How surprising to me this is.

I should comment that I added a touch of milk to the 2nd steep and it was just meh. I probably wouldn’t do it again.

2nd steep: 6 min. Ended up preferring a 2nd steep at 6 min rather than 7 min.

I found myself picking Caravan this morning over the Tiger. What’s up with that? After having this tea four times now and finding myself wanting it specifically, I think I can safely bump the rating up from deciding it was good (was undecided on first drink) to knowing I think it’s really good.

2nd steep: 7 min. For some reason, I think the 2nd steep was better at 6 min and will revert back to that.

Yesterday morning, Caravan was calling my name and I could not say no. Afterward, I did not regret it one bit. I upped the steeping time 15 seconds from last time and was rewarded by a mug that was like 2nd steep Caravan goodness with a bit of the strength of Caravan steeped longer. The 2nd steep took another minute with no bitterness and retained the deliciousness that I love.

(PS For those who follow my tealogs, the recent addition of italicized notes at the bottom are so I can hop on Steepster when I haven’t had a tea in awhile and easily see how I preferred it steeped, given the vague timestamps once a tealog is over a month old. I had noticed that I’d have varying times and temps as I experimented with a new tea and either couldn’t tell which one I’d settled on or couldn’t tell easily without reading through several notes when all I wanted to do was check quickly and make a cup of tea.)

Good 1st steep: 3 min 30-45 sec. 3 min 30 sec is close to 2nd steep yum. 3 min 45 sec adds a bit of strength. 4 min is a bit stronger than I like.

Good 2nd steep: 6 min plus. Takes 6 min with no bitterness. I think it could go 7 min.

Yesterday morning, just like the previous morning, I drank Caravan. I woke up wanting to give it another try. See if I could get the 1st steep to trend towards the unique tasting goodness of the 2nd steep. And decreasing the steeping time did indeed trend the 1st steep in that direction. Next time I’ll try 3 minutes 45 second. Contradictorily, I found myself wishing the 1st steep was a bit stronger this time. Maybe in between will be just right.

I also gave the 2nd steep more time, which increased the flavors. I think it could take even more time without bittering. I am bumping the rating up since I’ve moved from could-be-good undecided to decidedly good.

Yup, still smells like smoked ham. Vaguely bacon-y. A smoked pork product, not just smokey, but edible smoked meat.

I was leary to try this tea, to say the least. I had thought before I got Series 3 and sniffed it that it would be smokey like the Tiger or Jackee, but a step or two up in smokiness. Then I sniffed it and got scared. The Tiger and Jackee did not smell at all like this. Whoa, smokey pork. I did not think I’d like smokey at all prior to the Tiger and Jackee. But with my change in mind regarding those two, I figured I might, just might, like a truly smokey tea. But, as I said, then I sniffed it and was back to thinking I would likely not like it.

So I’ve been putting off trying it. I gave permission to put off trying it. I smelled it occasionally. I commented on it to the husband. He said he’d try it. No, no, I said each time. I’ll drink it when I’m ready for it. And today was that day. I woke up wanting a BOLD tea and thinking about trying Caravan was not off putting to me. So I said to myself, I’m going to go for it while I feel an inkling of wanting to try it.

The Dry Leaves — Are black and of various lengths, some long, some quite short. Smell, well, I think I’ve already covered that.

The Wet Leaves — Are a medium Sierra brown and a richer lighter orangeish-brown. You could tell there were two different teas in this. Smelled of a more tannic typical black tea smell with a hint of smokey that faded into smokey pork.

The Tea — Is an orange-pink-brown. It’s a bit odd colored for a black tea. I didn’t know if I liked it for the first half of the cup. The second half I warmed up to it more. It was okay, I could see myself drinking the rest of the tin from time to time. The tea tasted smokey but not smokey like the Tiger and Jackee, which taste more like smoke in the air that you might breathe in. Caravan tasted more like smoke you might eat, like smoked food stuff, possibly like smoked meat but without the meat. The last half of the cup had a sweetness to it and the taste of this tea lingered in my mouth after I’d finished drinking.

2nd steep: 5 min, 205° F.
The tea looked lighter, it smelled lighter. The wet leaves had become three different teas visibly – the third one looked dark brown and coiled. I sip. GOOD! WOW! REALLY GOOD! I finish the cup really fast. I do not think I could get another steep from the leaves. That makes me sad. The 2nd steep of Caravan is WAY better to me than the first. It could likely take another 30 second to a minute more steeping though.

I may also try steeping the 1st steep for less time. I’d also like to try the 1st steep with milk and see how that changes the taste of this tea.

Of the three teas in the third series, this was the tea I feared the most. I am not a smoky tea fan by any stretch of the imagination. I can appreciate a delicate smoky back note to a tea so long as it enhances the overall tea flavor. But one that is so strong in its smoky essence that this is the first aroma I sense, and the first flavor I taste… not for me.

But I still ordered the collection as I was lured in by the Steepster Select offer… and I do love the Earl Grey and especially the Jasmine of this collection. And… I must admit, I LOVE the tin and its graphics. Reminds me of Motley Crue.

Yet, I am a taster, so I didn’t want to let this tea to without tasting it. It is smoky. I “rinsed the tea.” It is still smoky. I added raw sugar. It is still smoky. Then I heated up some milk, added a dash of cinnamon to the milk, and whipped it into a froth, and turned this smoky tea into a smoky latte. It’s still smoky. But, with the little touch of cinnamon and the latte… it’s a tolerable smoke for me.

My dear Doulton … if you don’t mind, I am sending the rest of this to you. I have seen how much you love it, and I truly appreciate the work you put into the Dammann Frères teas. I hope that this small token will show you how much I do appreciate it. I also hope you don’t mind… but, I took the tea out of the tin. I … um… collect tins. And I love this one… The tea, sans the tin, but safely deposited into a tea storage bag… will be headed your way in tomorrow’s post.